DARPA's latest: a wrap that stops bleeding with sound

If we had our way, all our military tax dollars would go to DARPA. Whether it be nano planes, robot arms, or high-resolution sniper scopes, it always has something interesting cooking, and today's defense-minded gadget is no different. It's called a DBAC device, for Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation; basically a portable ultrasound wrap that can identify wounds ("bleeders") and reduce their severity. It uses Doppler waves to find an internal leak, then turns up the frequency and amplitude on that location to stem it, all in a completely automated fashion able to be managed by any Joe in a hot zone. Okay, so perhaps it's not as cool as a remote-controlled zombie shark, but this cuff has the potential to save many lives and limbs on the battlefield -- assuming it works. DARPA hopes to have a functional prototype ready in 18 months. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via CNET News]

[eggothewaffle @ Oct 24th 2008 8:44AM]

But does it have A2DP and copy & paste?

[iEye @ Oct 24th 2008 9:00AM]

If by "A2DP" you mean 'you are', and "copy&paste" 'an idiot'...

then yes it does have A@DP, copy&paste...

why cant we just further the research of those Honda ASIMO robots and strap guns to them to fight other robots, leave the human element out of war...

[eggothewaffle @ Oct 24th 2008 9:02AM]

Did that cut a little too close, iEye?

Don't worry, we can stop the bleeding with sound!

[leo @ Oct 24th 2008 10:25AM]

@ iEye, I dig this type of humour but wouldn't that make:

"you are and an idiot"...........?

you see saying "Spin my Dradle. By 'Spin' I mean 'Suck' and by 'Dradle' I mean 'C*ck'" works better because there is grammar and coherence. Not that my use of the English language is actually any good.
- I blame my year 8 teacher for getting sick so I was left with crappy supply teacher after crappy supply teacher. Bastards.

[joe @ Oct 24th 2008 12:17PM]

>why cant we just further the research of those Honda ASIMO robots and strap guns to them to fight other robots, leave the human element out of war...

John Connor would like to have a word with you

[Testies, Testies, 1, 2... 3? @ Oct 24th 2008 2:36PM]

If you do a little research, this is actually sponsored by Tampax...

[chef @ Oct 27th 2008 5:58AM]

Oh god no - the last thing we need is a woman's crotch to scream outside of childbirth.

[Philip Amatulli @ Oct 24th 2008 9:00AM]

I like to see this kind of research. Kudos.

[jorvay @ Oct 24th 2008 9:03AM]

As opposed to most rap, which makes my ears bleed from the sound...


(kidding. there's a lot of good rap out there, it's just too bad none of it seems to reach the mainstream).

[Igibo @ Oct 24th 2008 9:06AM]

A wrap that stops bleeding with sound? DARPA ain't shit. My raps and flow are so ill, my sound's been causin' bleedin' for years!

[yelohbird @ Oct 24th 2008 9:14AM]

Dear old DARPA...where would the Internet be without thee, and thine ARPAnet =)

If only teh interwebs were around 20 years ago to teach DARPA the formula to success:

1) Create teh Interwebs (before Al Gore beats you to the punch)
2) ???
3) Profit!

Imagine if DARPA collected a penny for every TCP/IP packet transmitted...zero taxes forever, universal healthcare, wonderful public schools, subsidized hookers...
(ok ok...maybe the wonderful public schools were a bit too much to ask for)

[yelohbird @ Oct 24th 2008 9:15AM]

Dear old DARPA...where would the Internet be without thee, and thine ARPAnet =)

If only teh interwebs were around 20 years ago to teach DARPA the formula to success:

1) Create teh Interwebs (before Al Gore beats you to the punch)
2) ???
3) Profit!

Imagine if DARPA collected a penny for every TCP/IP packet transmitted...zero taxes forever, universal healthcare, wonderful public schools, subsidized hookers...
(ok ok...maybe the wonderful public schools were a bit too much to ask for)

[L @ Oct 24th 2008 9:22AM]

Yeah, a penny for every IP packet would be a tooootally great idea.

Every time you come to Engadget, a 15 cent go to DARPA. A short YouTube vid? $1.50, thanks. Downloading that new movie in HD? A few hundred dollars.

I bet the media industry would love that. No more pesky pirates...

[Bjsfreaked @ Oct 24th 2008 9:17AM]

People always said listening to music was a good way to make you feel good.
now - its physically does it - Music is the future!!

[bobfantastic @ Oct 24th 2008 9:21AM]

wtfudge?
Way to keep on the 'bleeding' edge, BBC had this in June...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5106598.stm

[mikejonas @ Oct 24th 2008 9:31AM]

Using ultrasound to make blood coagulate? Is it wrong to imagine the *offensive* possibilities of this?

[NHAnimator @ Oct 24th 2008 9:44AM]

Any chance DARPA can wrap one of these around the stock market?

[Seneca @ Oct 24th 2008 12:29PM]

Sure, just wait 18 months and check on the stock market then.

[csmitty @ Oct 24th 2008 10:06AM]

Honestly I just saw the Header and pictures and was like wtf is with the GI Joes. Then I read the rest. You'd think DARPA would have a contest to see who could create the best virtual images of something they'd like to have a contest about. with a million dollar prize. I assume something like this would be easy to test. If it works great, if not, oops.

[csmitty @ Oct 24th 2008 10:07AM]

Ok, upon further inspection it appears they are digital images. still too early on a friday for me.

[sockatume @ Oct 24th 2008 10:50AM]

Seems the enemy have their own version that can cause internal bleeding using sound. Y'see they're killing them softly, with their song.

[Steve Childs @ Oct 24th 2008 11:52AM]

"If we had our way, all our military tax dollars would go to DARPA."

Why do ENGADGET writers assume that all their readers are American?

Oddly enough, my tax 'Pounds' do not end up in an arm of the American Government.

[Wwhat @ Oct 24th 2008 12:32PM]

"my tax 'Pounds' do not end up in an arm of the American Government."
Uhm, yeah, that's right, no really, not a penny.

[Evan @ Oct 24th 2008 3:30PM]

Probably because they are based in America...

I really hate it when people bitch about obvious and trivial stuff...

[Wwhat @ Oct 25th 2008 7:49PM]

It's not like britain is spending hundreds of millions fighting in iraq and afghanistan for america's interests and fabricating 'evidence' for the white house and such things now is it?
Thank goodness.

[Gman @ Oct 24th 2008 12:14PM]

If they used scotch tape to wrap the wounded instead, they could take x-rays right on the spot!

[Jonathan Nosrati @ Oct 24th 2008 2:02PM]

Hey, that's not cool-- If all of the military's tax dollars went to DARPA I wouldn't be able to afford the tech that lets me read Engadget.

[CaliforniaKid @ Oct 24th 2008 9:52PM]

Stop bleeding with sound waves? Doesn't this sound like that scene in the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still"? Gort, nick toe verada.

[Wwhat @ Oct 25th 2008 7:56PM]

I've never heard it working, stopping/slowing bleeding with soundwaves, not even with manual control and experts operating the equipment, and not even in medical shows that aren't too concerned with realism.
Funny how they are talking about such magically (internal-)wound-pinpointing devices when they didn't even try the concept of doing it the plain way yet then.
Even having a device that could pinpoint such internal wounds on the go would already be a great invention, doesn't even need to deal with it to impress.